Top 10 Drugs Abused by Teens

Answer: None of them are among the most frequently-abused substances by American teens.

That is the good news. The bad news is that adolescents are still turning to illicit drugs in substantial numbers.

According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health as compiled by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, here are the top ten most commonly abused drugs by youths between the ages of 12 and 17. The percentages accompanying each entry reflect the proportion of survey respondents who admitted to consuming that drug within the previous month.

If you think that your teenager is abusing these or other types of illicit drugs, do not sit idly by hoping that the issue will resolve itself. Confront the teen, try to determine which drugs are being abused, and consider contacting a substance abuse treatment center specifically designed for teens to address the problem. The last thing you want is for your teen drug abuser to become an adult addict.